Preview — Wild Robert
by Diana Wynne Jones

Wild Robert

Heather's parents are the caretakers of the stately home Castlemaine, and Heather would love living there -- if it weren't for the tourists. Every summer they invade Castlemaine, and one day they even trample into all of her secret quiet spots. The only one left is a peculiar little mound that the villagers say is the grave of Wild Robert, a legendary magician who lived 35

Heather's parents are the caretakers of the stately home Castlemaine, and Heather would love living there -- if it weren't for the tourists. Every summer they invade Castlemaine, and one day they even trample into all of her secret quiet spots. The only one left is a peculiar little mound that the villagers say is the grave of Wild Robert, a legendary magician who lived 350 years ago. When Heather cries out for Wild Robert to use his magical powers on the tourists, she never expects a handsome young man to appear right in front of her. She never expects all the mischief he causes, either! Will Castlemaine ever be the same once Wild Robert has returned?

This novel for young readers is full of Diana Wynne Jones's signature humor, inventiveness, and charm.

Community Reviews

This is half of a fairly promising novel. And I really mean half -- not, "oh, this has potential but it needs a good rewrite," but "Here is the first half of my finished book. I left the second half on the train and can't be bothered to redo it." Almost more disappointing than a bad book, because I wanted to know how the story turned out.

Not one of Diana Wynne Jones's major works, but interesting nevertheless, and I was thrilled to find it on the shelves of Birmingham Central Library while the children were rolling around on giant cushions.

Heather lives in a stately home which her parents manage for the National Trust. When she idly wishes for Wild Robert to wake up and deal with Mr McManus, the unpleasant gardener, and the tourists who bother her, he does. He plays magical tricks on everyone, but everything's fine by the end ofNot one of Diana Wynne Jones's major works, but interesting nevertheless, and I was thrilled to find it on the shelves of Birmingham Central Library while the children were rolling around on giant cushions.

Heather lives in a stately home which her parents manage for the National Trust. When she idly wishes for Wild Robert to wake up and deal with Mr McManus, the unpleasant gardener, and the tourists who bother her, he does. He plays magical tricks on everyone, but everything's fine by the end of the day.

What's interesting to me is that essentially this is a book about sex, about the way the introduction of sex - or at least boys - into a young girl's life changes everything. I don't mean to say it is a sordid book - nothing very saucy actually happens. Rather, it is all about the confusion and excitement of a girl's first love.

Robert is the archetypal romantic idol, a typical first crush with his shoulder length hair and good looks. When his hand touches Heather "it somehow fizzed against Heather's bare arm so that all the hairs stood up round the place he touched". That his wildness is sexual is flagged by his very first bit of magic - turning a group of teenagers into nymphs and fauns and sending them to rut in the woods (they "will romp until sundown").

Robert changes everything for Heather. From feeling like little more than an annoyance to everyone in her life, she becomes the most important person in the world to him. And, of course, from the moment he enters her life her main concern is to keep him away from her father. "She knew she had to make him believe when he did meet Robert, and there were a lot of things she wanted to think about first."

I found the strawberry scene very interesting too. Until now Mr McManus has always stopped her from eating them, but Robert waves his hand around and McManus is frozen, leaving her free to eat her fill. Is McManus representative of adult, male, threatening sexuality, something to be afraid of, kept at a distance? Once he's immobilised she is free - and barely hesitates - to eat as many strawberries as she would like. But maybe that's pushing the analysis too far.

So although it's a short book, taking little more than an hour to read, its themes make it an interesting complement to Fire and Hemlock, perhaps Diana Wynne Jones's most powerful work, making it well worth reading for that reason alone....more

What if a mysterious magical being who had been asleep for 350 years, woke up in modern times, found the castle of his former home turned into a tourist attraction, and decided to make mischief? That’s Wild Robert for you! Heather has a lot to put up with when she accidentally summons him into her tourist-crammed day… Shenanigans ensue!

Quite short read (100 pages including illustrations and large print; I read it in a sitting) and a very fun way to kick off March Magics/Diana Wynne Jones March 2What if a mysterious magical being who had been asleep for 350 years, woke up in modern times, found the castle of his former home turned into a tourist attraction, and decided to make mischief? That’s Wild Robert for you! Heather has a lot to put up with when she accidentally summons him into her tourist-crammed day… Shenanigans ensue!

Quite short read (100 pages including illustrations and large print; I read it in a sitting) and a very fun way to kick off March Magics/Diana Wynne Jones March 2017! :)

I’d never read this one before. It made me think a little bit of Eight Days of Luke, and maybe a dash of Howl’s Moving Castle for one tiny reason. DWJ once again blends fantasy, history, modern times, humor, strangeness, and fascinating characters in a bizarre but heart-capturing read.

It’s not all fun and pranks though… there’s a deeper mystery and something sinister behind all of this, and the reveal twisted my heart and made me feel bad for poor Robert! I was conflicted about this strange impish character — he definitely keeps you guessing. ;) He’s a fascinating mystery, I guess you could say.

It was quite enjoyable, and I loved the twist at the end about who Robert is! :D

It stopped rather before I wanted it to… I could have read another two or three hundred pages on this!! So at first I was sliiightly disappointed about that, but at the same time it works perfectly, ending at just the right place to let the imagination wander free about what might happen next… ;) So I’m happy with it. :) DWJ always leaves you wanting more!

(It almost made me consider wanting to write a fan-fiction continuation, I wanted to know so badly. The idea of fan-fiction almost never crosses my mind. Heehee.)

Oh what a wonderful short little story full of fun, silliness and magic. It feels though as if there should be more but I do not think there is a sequel to Wild Robert. In a way it could feel incomplete, but to me it feels like the story is still living, it has never ended and never will.

Heather lives in Castlemaine, a very large, very old house owned by the British Trust and open to tourists. Her parents run the tours in the house. One day, Heather ends up calling Wild Robert out of a mound with the thoughtless wish that he appear to drive out the tourists. Hilarity ensues.

This is a very short story at 100 pages exactly, but no less enjoyable. Heather's unusual life makes her an interesting character, though she retains enough selfishness and self-consciousness to be very likabHeather lives in Castlemaine, a very large, very old house owned by the British Trust and open to tourists. Her parents run the tours in the house. One day, Heather ends up calling Wild Robert out of a mound with the thoughtless wish that he appear to drive out the tourists. Hilarity ensues.

This is a very short story at 100 pages exactly, but no less enjoyable. Heather's unusual life makes her an interesting character, though she retains enough selfishness and self-consciousness to be very likable. Her observations about tourists and those who cater to them are very amusing and dead accurate.

Wild Robert himself is the best reason to read the book. Arrogant, spoiled, powerful, and three hundred and fifty years out of date, he swaggers on scene and steals the show. His pranks are hilarious, particularly because he seems to have no sense of shame at giving people what he thinks they deserve.

The magic, the humor, and the humanity of the characters is Jones' signature far more than her name on the cover. This book is suitable for younger readers, but there's nothing stopping adults from enjoying it as well. Recommended....more

Fun, but it feels like the prologue to a greater story - lots of set up that goes no where, and no real resolution. It works as a novella as long as you don't expect any more then that. The whole thing is pretty much a romp through the tropes of this particular story. It's short - easy enough to read in a few hours, even for a slow reader like me. If your a fan of the author I can't see a reason not to recommend it, but as a stand alone there isn't much to mention about it.

This is one of those all-too-brief, magical stories for young readers that leave one regretting there wasn't more. It covers just the first day of what promises to be a whole series of adventures shared by a lonely girl named Heather and the mischievous, magical friend named in the title. It leaves what happens afterward entirely to the reader's imagination.

Heather lives with her parents in the stately castle of an extinct branch of the nobility, now a museum owned by the British Trust. Her pareThis is one of those all-too-brief, magical stories for young readers that leave one regretting there wasn't more. It covers just the first day of what promises to be a whole series of adventures shared by a lonely girl named Heather and the mischievous, magical friend named in the title. It leaves what happens afterward entirely to the reader's imagination.

Heather lives with her parents in the stately castle of an extinct branch of the nobility, now a museum owned by the British Trust. Her parents manage the estate and guide tours, while money from tourists enables them to preserve the place. But Heather only wants a bit of privacy. One day, in her frustration, she cries out for Wild Robert to help her - thereby inadvertently summoning a 17th-century sorcerer who has lain trapped inside a mound on the castle grounds.

Until the sun goes down, Wild Robert is free to roam his old stomping grounds, casting spells on tourists and staff, while Heather tries to catch him up on what he has missed and restrain him from wreaking too much havoc. Meantime, she scrambles to learn just what it is that keeps Wild Robert tied to that mound in the woods. Just as it's starting to make sense to her, the adventure trails off in a classic demonstration of "leaving them wanting more."

I have read, reviewed, and loved many books by the late Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011). Besides the Dalemark, Derkholm, Chrestomanci, Howl's Castle and Magids series, she wrote loads of stand-alone novels majoring in fantasy for young readers, including several that I count among my favorite books of all time. Just listing the ones I haven't read yet, she is also the author of Changeover, Four Grannies, Chair Person, A Sudden Wild Magic, Everard's Ride, Puss in Boots, Stealer of Souls, Enna Hittims, The Game, Enchanted Glass, Earwig and the Witch, and the posthumously-published The Islands of Chaldea, co-written by her sister Ursula Jones. And if that list makes it seem like I've neglected her work, check out this list of the ones I've read....more

Wild Robert demonstrates many of the qualities that make me love Diana Wynne Jones’ writing so much. It’s quirky and unexpected, inventive, original, and full of humor and character. The characters, especially Heather and Wild Robert, are interesting and well developed. Robert, in particular, is a very unique individual, capricious, resentful, quick but caught still in the grandness of the estate his family once owned, unable to accept the common folk trampling all over “his” land. The results oWild Robert demonstrates many of the qualities that make me love Diana Wynne Jones’ writing so much. It’s quirky and unexpected, inventive, original, and full of humor and character. The characters, especially Heather and Wild Robert, are interesting and well developed. Robert, in particular, is a very unique individual, capricious, resentful, quick but caught still in the grandness of the estate his family once owned, unable to accept the common folk trampling all over “his” land. The results of his moods are, to say the least, quite amusing. The quality of the writing is definitely up to Jones’ impeccable standards. My one . . . not exactly complaint so much as sad observation . . . is that the story, while complete in itself, feels like it could have been a great deal longer. Actually, it feels like the real story is only beginning. I can only imagine that Jones had originally intended to make this into a longer book, but it never came together and she wrapped up what she had as best she could. And “as best she could” for Diana Wynne Jones is quite well indeed, it’s an excellent story and flows nicely. So, if you’re a fan of her books, this is a must-read part of her collection, and if you’re not familiar with her books, at about 100 pages, Wild Robert has the advantage of being a short volume to try her writing....more

A nice little Diana Wynne Jones fantasy, Wild Robert tells the tale of Heather, a girl who lives in a re-posessed castle (its noble line is extinct) where her parents are caretakers and tour guides. She hates the tourists who take over her home and give her no peace, and one afternoon while trying in vain to get a little privacy, she stumbles onto the barrow in the back where reputedly Wild Robert, a young nobleman accused of witchcraft, was executed. As it turns out, Robert isn't quite as goneA nice little Diana Wynne Jones fantasy, Wild Robert tells the tale of Heather, a girl who lives in a re-posessed castle (its noble line is extinct) where her parents are caretakers and tour guides. She hates the tourists who take over her home and give her no peace, and one afternoon while trying in vain to get a little privacy, she stumbles onto the barrow in the back where reputedly Wild Robert, a young nobleman accused of witchcraft, was executed. As it turns out, Robert isn't quite as gone as all that and when Heather jokingly calls to him, Robert pops up large as life. This is bad enough since the castle more or less belongs to him (as the sole survivor of his lineage), but Robert is well... wild, and the rumors of his witchcraft are well-founded. Robert is an interesting DWJ character because he doesn't quite fall into protagonist or antagonist categories, instead he's a very powerful spoiled brat who is disjointed in time trapped in a cruel limbo and lost from everyone he loves, at once pathetic, irksome, and amusing. Even Robert's depredations while initially alarming are surprisingly restrained. Unfortunately, just as the story starts to get some steam, it ends with a very sudden stop. Wild Robert is thus a fun quick read (the edition I read was 100 pages with illustrations and generous spacing) but ultimately it feels unfinished....more

Heather lives with her parents at Castlemaine and her parents are also the caretakers and tourguides of Castlemaine. Heather would love to live at Castlemaine if it wasn't for every Summer many tourists come. To get away from all tourists and noise, Heather heads off to one of her secret spots in the castle only to find more tourists there.

Heather goes off upset and to the only other secret spot she knows. The mound near the woods, and she has been told that is the grave of Wild Robert, who wasHeather lives with her parents at Castlemaine and her parents are also the caretakers and tourguides of Castlemaine. Heather would love to live at Castlemaine if it wasn't for every Summer many tourists come. To get away from all tourists and noise, Heather heads off to one of her secret spots in the castle only to find more tourists there.

Heather goes off upset and to the only other secret spot she knows. The mound near the woods, and she has been told that is the grave of Wild Robert, who was a magician 350 years ago. When Heather gets to the mound she calls out for Wild Robert and asks for help to get rid of the tourists.

This is a book you can read in one sitting, but it is a very fun read. Altough it seems that there might be more to this story. Maybe one day there will be a sequel to this book, who knows. But it is a very enjoyable short story that is full of laughs. I know I really liked it....more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.Diana Wynne Jones, as always she has written an absolutely wonderful book. I was drawn in from the very beginning and was not let off the hook until the very end. The only reason I gave this delightful book only three stars was the ending. Or the lack thereof, as the case may be. Honestly, I wanted to read more. I wanted to see how the friendship between Heather and Robert progressed. I also wanted to see whether or not the relationship between Mr. McManus and Heather changed. And, what happensDiana Wynne Jones, as always she has written an absolutely wonderful book. I was drawn in from the very beginning and was not let off the hook until the very end. The only reason I gave this delightful book only three stars was the ending. Or the lack thereof, as the case may be. Honestly, I wanted to read more. I wanted to see how the friendship between Heather and Robert progressed. I also wanted to see whether or not the relationship between Mr. McManus and Heather changed. And, what happens with Robert, Heather's parents, and the Castlemaine situation??? Overall, this book felt more like a first chapter instead of an actual book. It definitely left me wanting to read more without delivering any satisfaction, and that is why it only gets three stars. If Diana Wynne Jones had given a little more closure in the ending, the book would have easily gotten five stars from me....more

Honestly, this felt like half a book. By the end, Heather has realized Wild Roberts story, but she doesn't really have that much of a plan for how she could right the wrongs that have been done to him.

Still an enjoyable quick read, complete with quirky magic and what person in charge of maintaining a place for the public hasn't wanted to have them attacked by their own littered trash? :)

Content notes: No swearing that I recall; no sensuality except teenagers making a nuisance of themselves by

Honestly, this felt like half a book. By the end, Heather has realized Wild Roberts story, but she doesn't really have that much of a plan for how she could right the wrongs that have been done to him.

Still an enjoyable quick read, complete with quirky magic and what person in charge of maintaining a place for the public hasn't wanted to have them attacked by their own littered trash? :)

Content notes: No swearing that I recall; no sensuality except teenagers making a nuisance of themselves by kissing on the grounds of the castle; no present violence, though Wild Roberts manner of death is mentioned and slightly disturbing (view spoiler)[heart cut out, implied that he was still alive when it happened (hide spoiler)].

An extremely short book about a girl who lives in a castle which is being cared for by her parents. Tourists visit the castle in droves and it is hard for the girl to find a spare moment of quiet. She inadvertently wakes up the ghost of a warlock buried on the castle grounds who turns the tourists to sheep and does other nasty things to the people the young girl was complaining about only moments before. Of course the girls is appalled by this and works to find a solution to the mischief the warAn extremely short book about a girl who lives in a castle which is being cared for by her parents. Tourists visit the castle in droves and it is hard for the girl to find a spare moment of quiet. She inadvertently wakes up the ghost of a warlock buried on the castle grounds who turns the tourists to sheep and does other nasty things to the people the young girl was complaining about only moments before. Of course the girls is appalled by this and works to find a solution to the mischief the warlock has wrought. Very fluffy book, not up to Jones' usual standards; perhaps because it was one of her first books. ...more

It's stories like these that make me sad that Diana Wynne Jones died. I wish she just could exist forever, writing really awesome fantasy novels for the rest of time. The story ends quite abruptly and without any real resolution - it feels as though a series or at least a sequel was intended, and Wild Robert doesn't have the same sort of neat ending that most of her novels do. Apart from that, it is still a charming novella full of her trademark humour and magic, all wrapped together. A story IIt's stories like these that make me sad that Diana Wynne Jones died. I wish she just could exist forever, writing really awesome fantasy novels for the rest of time. The story ends quite abruptly and without any real resolution - it feels as though a series or at least a sequel was intended, and Wild Robert doesn't have the same sort of neat ending that most of her novels do. Apart from that, it is still a charming novella full of her trademark humour and magic, all wrapped together. A story I think much younger readers would definitely love....more

Wild Robert is a wonderful story but it ends at an odd point. The main character is a bored girl who's parents manage a historical castle, she accidentally awakens from a magical sleep a former resident of the castle. He causes trouble and she works to control and understand him. The story abruptly stops at the end of the day but it feels like there should be more.

I was reminded of Eight Days of Luke which has the same sort of beginning but is a more complete story. A good fast read that I'd onlWild Robert is a wonderful story but it ends at an odd point. The main character is a bored girl who's parents manage a historical castle, she accidentally awakens from a magical sleep a former resident of the castle. He causes trouble and she works to control and understand him. The story abruptly stops at the end of the day but it feels like there should be more.

I was reminded of Eight Days of Luke which has the same sort of beginning but is a more complete story. A good fast read that I'd only recommend to someone who knows Wynne Jones as its her writing but feels incomplete....more

Heather is unhappy and bored. Her parents are caretakers of a large historic house and tourists are traipsing throughout it. She escapes to a mound near the house and calls out to a legend told about Wild Robert, a former resident of the house executed as a witch over 300 years before. Only he then shows up and uses magic on some of those visiting the house with funny results. An enjoyable read with great illustrations.

I suspect I would have loved this book had it existed when I was in the target audience for it. I would have probably liked it had it been published in the US shortly after its 1989 publication in the UK. As an adult reading this book, it feels as though either the story is incomplete or tied too neatly in a bow. Not my favorite DWJ book by a long shot.

Heather is hiding from the tourists invading her home, just looking for some peace and quiet so the reputed grave of the former owner seems a good place to try. Exasperated at being unable to read she invites Wild Robert to deal with all the tourists and chaos ensues.[return][return]http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/kid...

I picked this up from the free book pile. It caught my eye since it was written by the same author as Howl's Moving Castle. Cute but with a bittersweet ending and written for a much much younger audience than HMC.

Inspiring illos (black and white, no grey tone) from Emma Chichester Clark, and an intriguing story with interesting character development. Recommended for upper primary aged readers or young secondary schoolers with an interest in history, mystery, quirkiness and or the slightly macabre.

I have had Ms. Jones on my list to read for quite some time as she comes highly recommended from friends on an email group. This one was cute, predictable, will be perfect for The Kid. I will get more of her books out to screen and enjoy.

For what it is it's fine! But what it is, I suspect, is the first chapter of a much longer story that Jones just never got round to. Pity. A young reader could read this as a complete story and enjoy it very much.

Diana was born in London, the daughter of Marjorie (née Jackson) and Richard Aneurin Jones, both of whom were teachers. When war was announced, shortly after her fifth birthday, she was evacuated to Wales, and thereafter moved several times, including periods in Coniston Water, in York, and back in London. In 1943 her family finally settled in Thaxted, Essex, where her parents worked running an edDiana was born in London, the daughter of Marjorie (née Jackson) and Richard Aneurin Jones, both of whom were teachers. When war was announced, shortly after her fifth birthday, she was evacuated to Wales, and thereafter moved several times, including periods in Coniston Water, in York, and back in London. In 1943 her family finally settled in Thaxted, Essex, where her parents worked running an educational conference centre. There, Jones and her two younger sisters Isobel (later Professor Isobel Armstrong, the literary critic) and Ursula (later an actress and a children's writer) spent a childhood left chiefly to their own devices. After attending the Friends School Saffron Walden, she studied English at St Anne's College in Oxford, where she attended lectures by both C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien before graduating in 1956. In the same year she married John Burrow, a scholar of medieval literature, with whom she had three sons, Richard, Michael and Colin. After a brief period in London, in 1957 the couple returned to Oxford, where they stayed until moving to Bristol in 1976.

According to her autobiography, Jones decided she was an atheist when she was a child.

Jones started writing during the mid-1960s "mostly to keep my sanity", when the youngest of her three children was about two years old and the family lived in a house owned by an Oxford college. Beside the children, she felt harried by the crises of adults in the household: a sick husband, a mother-in-law, a sister, and a friend with daughter. Her first book was a novel for adults published by Macmillan in 1970, entitled Changeover. It originated as the British Empire was divesting colonies; she recalled in 2004 that it had "seemed like every month, we would hear that yet another small island or tiny country had been granted independence."Changeover is set in a fictional African colony during transition, and begins as a memo about the problem of how to "mark changeover" ceremonially is misunderstood to be about the threat of a terrorist named Mark Changeover. It is a farce with a large cast of characters, featuring government, police, and army bureaucracies; sex, politics, and news. In 1965, when Rhodesia declared independence unilaterally (one of the last colonies and not tiny), "I felt as if the book were coming true as I wrote it."

Jones' books range from amusing slapstick situations to sharp social observation (Changeover is both), to witty parody of literary forms. Foremost amongst the latter are The Tough Guide To Fantasyland, and its fictional companion-pieces Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998) and Year of the Griffin (2000), which provide a merciless (though not unaffectionate) critique of formulaic sword-and-sorcery epics.[citation needed]

The Harry Potter books are frequently compared to the works of Diana Wynne Jones. Many of her earlier children's books were out of print in recent years, but have now been re-issued for the young audience whose interest in fantasy and reading was spurred by Harry Potter.

Jones' works are also compared to those of Robin McKinley and Neil Gaiman. She was friends with both McKinley and Gaiman, and Jones and Gaiman are fans of each other's work; she dedicated her 1993 novel Hexwood to him after something he said in conversation inspired a key part of the plot. Gaiman had already dedicated his 1991 four-part comic book mini-series The Books of Magic to "four witches", of whom Jones was one.

For Charmed Life, the first Chrestomanci novel, Jones won the 1978 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime award by The Guardian newspaper that is judged by a panel of children's writers. Three times she was a commended runner-up[a] for the Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book: for Dogsbody (1975), Charmed Life (1977), and the fourth Chrestomanci book The Lives of Christopher Chant (1988). She won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, children's section, in 1996 for The C...more